MARIETTA, Ga. – Now, a number of organizations – Operation Lifesaver, the U.S. Department of Transportation and major railroad companies – joined together to launch the Common Sense campaign. The initiative aims to reduce the number of pedestrians who are killed and injured when trespassing around tracks and trains.
The campaign is targeted toward 18-34 year olds.
“Young adults also may be distracted by cell phones, texting, or listening to MP3 players if they’re near the tracks. This new public awareness campaign has a simple message: staying away from the tracks is common sense, and it can save your life,” Cliff Stayton, a former locomotive engineer, said in a news release.
The Common Sense campaign aims to teach the public how dangerous it is to trespass on railroad property through an interactive Web site, internet ads, videos and local events. It will be test-marketed in markets where pedestrian rail trespass incidents frequently occur.
States with the highest number of pedestrian rail trespass deaths in 2008 are California, Illinois, Texas, Florida, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Tennessee, North Carolina, New York, Ohio, Massachusetts and Georgia.
“If you are driving don’t try to beat a train at a crossing and if you are walking stay off the tracks-it’s really just common sense,” Joe Deely, Amtrak General Superintendent, Pacific Division, said in a news release.
For more information, log onto www.CommonSenseUseIt.com.